NEW!  Wine and Food Pairing Classes!
Chef/Owner Stephen Larson invites you into his restaurant’s wine bar to enjoy these entertaining and informative wine and food tasting sessions. From novice to connoisseur, these classes will help make sense of the confusing and sometimes contradictory world of matching the right wine to the types of food you are eating. Here is what’s included: A generous tasting portion of three different wines, an appropriate food accompaniment for each and an information packet. Sessions will run approximately one and a half hours, so there will also be plenty of time for questions, answers and discussion.
 
Schedule for Winter 2011/2012
November Reliable Rieslings $36
Few wines cover the “something for everyone” category better than ones made from the Riesling grape. Many different styles are made, from very dry to medium dry to sweet, and in this class we’ll sample one of each.
Available dates: Sundays – 20th or 27th from 2:30 until 4:00

December Pacific Northwest Pinots $36
Used in many of the great wines of the world, most notably red Burgundy and Champagne, the temperamental Pinot Noir grape is notoriously difficult to make good wines from. In the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., wine makers have done an admirable job of taming this difficult grape, so that’s where we’ll focus our attention in this session.
Available dates: Sundays – 4th or 11th from 2:30 until 4:00

January Hurrah for Syrah! (and Shiraz) $36
Whether it goes by the name Syrah or Shiraz, the world has embraced this grape with open arms. Much of its current popularity is due to the Aussies great success in making beautiful and intensely flavored wines that are still eminently drinkable. For this session, we’ll sample three very different style wines from three different parts of the world.
Available dates: Sundays – 15th or 22nd from 2:30 until 4:00

Please join us for our yearly special events.
Give us a call for details at 507 886-5500
 New Year's Eve Wine Dinner 
A Special Valentine’s Weekend Dinner
Easter Sunday Brunch
Mother's Day Brunch

Recipes
Thank you to everyone who voted for my soup as their favorite at the Seed Saver's Exchange 2010 Fall Harvest Festival!  As promised, here is the recipe for it.

Award Winning East African Red Bean and Root Vegetable Stew
Makes about 10 – 12 ounce servings

For the beans:
1 pound Kilimanjaro Speckled Red Beans (or use another firm fleshed light red bean)
2 quarts water
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 large bay leaf
Directions: Sort the beans to remove any damaged beans or stones then rinse briefly under running water. Put the beans and the remaining ingredients into a 4 quart sauce pan then bring to a boil over high heat. Turn the heat down to a very low simmer, cover the pot and cook the beans until tender but still firm (about 2 hours). Meanwhile, make the seasoning mix and the rest of the dish.

For the seasoning mix:
4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon each of ground ginger, turmeric and cumin
½ teaspoon each of ground toasted fennel seed, cinnamon and freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Directions: Put all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and stir well to blend, set aside until needed.

For the soup:
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 green onions, cleaned and sliced (about a ½ cup)
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
Seasoning mix from above
3 pounds any combination of peeled mixed root vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, rutabaga, turnip, parsnips, etc.). Use 1 pound each of 3 varieties for best results.
3 quarts vegetable stock (or chicken stock, or water)
1 – 14 ounce can coconut milk
2 cups small diced fresh tomatoes
4 cups (packed) cleaned and chopped cooking greens such as rutabaga greens, kale, Swiss chard, turnip greens, mild mustard greens, etc.
Cooked beans from above
Directions: Put the oil into a large soup pot set over high heat. Add both kinds of onions and sauté until softened and very lightly colored. Add the seasoning mix and cook while stirring for about 30 seconds. Add all the remaining ingredients except the greens and beans. Turn the soup up to a boil then back it down to a simmer. Let cook for 20 minutes while stirring often then add the beans and greens. Let cook for another 20 minutes and serve hot or chill for future use.